5K walk in Fairfield to aid suicide prevention

Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) and Solano Community College will co-host the first Out-of-the-Darkness Campus Walk on March 9 at the school's main Fairfield campus.

A 5K walk, the event will raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's (AFSP) research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, advocate for mental health issues, and assist survivors of suicide loss.

Organizers said that among the event goals are a reduction to the stigma of mental illness in Solano schools and communities through SCOE's Transition Age Youth Program.

Check-in time for the walk is 9 a.m. on the campus, 4000 Suisun Valley Road.

The walk and program are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Refreshments, music and activities will be provided.

The online registration period ends at 3 p.m. on March 8. Partici-pants can also register at the event. The donation period ends July 1.

Proceeds from the walk will help to benefit the community with AFSP donating 50 percent of the money for use by local programs.

Organizers noted that in the United States, a person dies by suicide nearly every 14 minutes. Claiming more than 38,000 lives each year, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for college students, and the third for youth ages 15 to 24, with adolescent depression -- undiagnosed, untreated, or both -- as the number one cause.

AFSP is the largest nonprofit organization that addresses suicide prevention. It is almost entirely volunteer-driven, with nearly 85.5 cents of every dollar donated going directly to research, education, advocacy programs and survivor services.